NIO & CATL Team up to Develop Long-Life Electric Vehicle Batteries

NIO and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) have signed the framework agreement to carry out innovation in the R&D of long-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The two companies will jointly develop technological breakthroughs and innovation, and promote product applications.

CATL will also plan and develop battery systems of longer service lives for NIO’s upcoming models.

The two Chinese companies aim to establish a long-term partnership via the technological cooperation in long-life batteries, with which NIO and CATL are about to accelerate the development and adoption of such technologies.

With technological R&D and unique battery swap operations, NIO has set up the industry’s first battery lifecycle health operational system, covering the three major conditions affecting battery life: temperature, intensity and frequency.

It has also further extended the lifespan of swappable batteries through operations and dispatch based on big data, and been able to retain 80% of capacity after 12 years of use.

NIO has partnered with Changan Automobile, Geely Holding, JAC Group and Chery Automobile in battery swap to jointly promote the development of the battery swap network and industry standards.

CATL has developed core technologies, such as slow capacity attenuation, self-repairing Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) film and lithium supplement, to extend the service life of vehicle batteries. 

In a press release, NIO states: 'As a leading smart EV company and the world’s largest operator of battery swapping network for smart EVs, NIO has installed and operated over 2,300 Power Swap Stations globally, and provided more than 40 million battery swaps. Changan Automotive, Geely Holding, JAC Group, and Chery Automobile, among others, have entered into cooperation with NIO to jointly push forward with the development of battery swapping network and unified standards'.

NIO has R&D centers and manufacturing facilities in Shanghai, Hefei, Beijing, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, San Jose, Munich, Oxford, Berlin, Budapest and Singapore.